title: Assessment of the essential fatty acid requirement in gerbils by polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio.
abstract: Essential fatty acid status in the gerbil was assessed using the ratio of 20:3 omega 9 (5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid) to 20:4 omega 6 (arachidonic acid) derived from liver phospholipid. Both a fat-free diet and a diet containing 20% hydrogenated coconut oil produced an essential fatty acid deficiency. The minimum requirement for 18:2 omega 6 (linoleic acid) in the gerbil, like that in the rat, was estimated at 1% kcal of the diet when graded levels of safflower oil were added to a purified diet containing hydrogenated coconut oil. Dietary cholesterol did not affect the minimum requirement, but accentuated the triene:tetraene ratio when the dietary linoleate level was below the requirement.
mesh_terms: D015126:8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000494:pharmacology; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential / Q000378:metabolism*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D004041:Dietary Fats; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D010743:Phospholipids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D015126:8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; C010944:mead acid